Only a Shadow: Three Ways to Live in the Now and Not Yet

And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies.—Rom. 8:23 

Back in 2018, in celebration of my 50th birthday, my husband planned a 3-week trip to England.

It was a trip of a lifetime. We enjoyed historic sites, Shakespeare plays, and the English countryside. We visited friends, enjoyed worshipping with other believers, and were invited to tea.

But even at its best, the pleasures of life here are short-lived, aren’t they?

Vacations end.

Dream weddings are but a day.

Achievements fade into the past.

I’m sure you have your own version and can fill in the blanks with your own description.

The Bible explains why: we live in a post-fall world. Creation is in subjected to futility and groans like a woman experiencing the pains of childbirth (Rom. 8:20-22).

As part of God’s creation, we are not exempt. We too groan inwardly as well, even though we are adopted as children of God and have the firstfruits of the Spirit (Rom. 8:23).

Until Christ comes to redeem our bodies, we will wrestle with the tension of life here (Rom. 7:22-24). Longing will be mingled with pain as we await the revealing of His glory to come  (Rom. 8:18).

We live in this unique “now and not yet” season. As we live on this side of the cross, our past sins have been dealt with. We are promised hope for the future (Rom. 8:24-25). This is a sure hope we can be confident in—but we’re not there yet.

So what does that mean? How do we live today? There are three thoughts that come to mind.  

We live in the world but do not love it too much.

In His high priestly prayer in John 17, Jesus prays for His disciples—and through them, us as well—that they would be in the world but not of it (v. 11, 14-15). Though this world will seek to harm us, He prays that we will not be taken in by it.

Because this world will one day be destroyed (Matt. 24:35; 2 Peter 3:10-12; Rev. 21:1), it is foolish to stake our lives on its temporary pleasures and offers. Moth and rust will destroy, thieves will break in and steal (Matt. 6:19).

And it’s not just material things—it can be any good thing: goals, aspirations, or dreams that are tied to this world. All aims limited to this world are short-lived.

What are good things in your life, that when threatened, reveal your tie to them?

For me, I realized that I like my comforts. I like my Netflix, my pedicures, my Red Robin steak fries. I also like my work and the pats on the back, the feeling of worth, the praise I receive for it.

While none of these are inherently sinful, they can tie me to this world in their own ways. I can begin to substitute these things for the pleasure of relationship with God or as escape routes from the hardness of life here. Even ministry can be a temptation if I love and live for it more than I love and life for Christ.

But I do not believe that this means God intends for us to stay away from them. What can we do?

We live in the world and allow its pleasures to lead us to praise.

One of my favorite books in C. S. Lewis’s The Chronicles of Narnia series is The Last Battle. Towards the end, I have always been intrigued by this description of fruit in their heaven:

“What was the fruit like? Unfortunately, no one can describe the taste. All I can say is that, compared with those fruits, the freshest grapefruit you’ve ever eaten was dull, and the juiciest orange was dry, and the most melting pear was hard and woody, and the sweetest wild strawberry was sour. And there were no seeds or stones, and no wasps. If you had once eaten that fruit, all the nicest things in this world would taste like medicines after it. But I can’t describe it. You can’t find out what it is like unless you can get to that country and taste for yourself.”

What if everything we think is so great here is actually nasty—not because it is bad in itself, but because it pales in comparison to what lies ahead for us?

Or perhaps to flip to another Lewis idea: that what we enjoy so much now is actually a precursor, a shadow of the reality we will enjoy in the future?

Every breathtaking sight is a peek at the glory of God.

Every epic story where wrongs are made right are hints of the victory to come.

Every wonderful marriage is a foretaste of the intimacy we will enjoy with Christ and others.

While we are not to live in this world and not love it too much, I do think that God intends for us to enjoy the good gifts He gives us (James 1:17).

So whenever we hear that stirring symphony, are caught up in the beauty of a sunset, or indulge in a satisfying steak, let us enjoy that moment to the fullness. Let us enjoy a good night’s sleep as a reminder of the eternal rest he promises for us. Let us laugh with friends, dance and celebrate with joy as we anticipate fullness in our relationships with God and one another in eternity.

Instead of finding our satisfaction in these things while here on earth, may these become tastes of heaven as they direct our hearts to God, looking forward to the perfect satisfaction to come.

We live life here on earth as an investment in the future.

The first two ideas are reactive—protecting ourselves from the dangers while thanking God for the joys.

But there is more to it than that: We must also be proactive. We need to live as if we are fighting in a battle.

Adam’s problem began when he failed to protect God’s domain. Instead of standing up against the evil serpent in the garden of Eden and defending both his bride and his God, he listened to his wife—and ultimately Satan.

But as mentioned earlier, we live on the other side of the cross. The second—and last—Adam has come. And He is not going to let the enemy win!

In fact, victory has been guaranteed through this very death on the cross. We are delivered from the domain of darkness (Col. 1:13-14). Satan will fall from heaven; his defeat is sure (Luke 10:18; Rev. 12:9; 20:7-10).

He may seem to still be victorious now, but what we are actually seeing are his death throes. What we witness in the world today are last-ditch efforts of a defeated foe, trying to deceive and take down as many as possible with him until Christ comes again. He has an agenda during this time too, one that is at cross-purposes with God.

Therefore, we need to be alert and on guard as we live here. We live with guards up, swords in hand.

However, while it is essential to keep our wits about us here, we also want to be looking for opportunities to build up the church of Christ: people, children, homes, disciples, churches, ministries.

We invest in developing our marriages as pictures of Christ’s love for the church.

We pour our lives into raising children and preparing them for life as children of God.

We lay down our lives for others who are weak and needy in imitation of what Christ did for us.

We live our lives now, investing in the people and work of Christ, knowing that they will go before us into eternity.

One Day…

One day, our lives here on earth will be over. Like Jewel the Unicorn in The Last Battle, we will say:

“I have come home at last! This is my real country! I belong here. This is the land I have been looking for all my life, though I never knew it till now.”

One day, we will experience what the faithful Narnians experienced:

“And has He spoke He no longer looked to them like a lion; but the things that began to happen after that were so great and beautiful that I cannot write them. And for us this is the end of all the stories, and we can most truly say that they all lived happily ever after. But for them it was only the beginning of the real story. All their life in this world and all their adventures in Narnia had only been the cover and the title page: now at least they were beginning Chapter One of the Great Story, which no one on earth has read: which goes on forever: in which every chapter is better than the one before.”

Our lives here are but a mist, a breath. Our time here is limited.

But He is coming—and soon. Until that day, let us make the most of our time here.

Let us stand on guard against the enemy, protect ourselves from the idols that lure us.

Let us enjoy the good gifts He has blessed us with, not as ends in themselves but as foretastes of the glories to come.

And let us labor faithfully—with sword and trowel in hand—to build His kingdom and defend it from intruders.

As King Tirian said: “The light is dawning, the lie broken.” It’s coming, friend.

So let us live as if it is so.